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Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on Earth

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Duke Lemur Center

Founded in 1966 on the campus of Duke University in Durham, NC, the Duke Lemur Center is a world leader in the study, care, and protection of lemurs—Earth’s most threatened group of mammals.

With more than 200 animals across 13 species, the DLC houses the world’s most diverse population of lemurs outside their native Madagascar.

Our Mission

To advance science, scholarship, and biological conservation through non-invasive research, community-based conservation, and public outreach and education.

Our Story

Meet the Lemurs

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Recent News

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Jujube Trees? Yes, Please! Expansion of the DLC’s “Food Forest”

Hibernating Lemurs Can Turn Back the Clock on Cellular Aging

Celebrating International Women’s Day in Madagascar

INFANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Meet Majorian!

Upcoming Events

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May Tour Registration Is Now Open!

January – March Tour Registration Open Now

Off-Season Tours Available Now!

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Duke Lemur Center
21 hours ago

Looking for an in-depth look at the world of lemurs? Check out our Behind the Scenes tours! 😍

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/engage/onsite-tours/2022-bts-tour/

The Behind the Scenes tour is a private, customizab ... See MoreSee Less

Looking for an in-depth look at the world of lemurs? Check out our Behind the Scenes tours! 😍 ➡️ https://lemur.duke.edu/engage/onsite-tours/2022-bts-tour/ The Behind the Scenes tour is a private, customizable experience for groups of 1-4 guests that involves a look behind the curtain at everything that goes into caring for the nearly 250 primates in our colony. Your group, along with one of our expert educators, will check out areas off-limits to most guests, including the inside of our animal housing buildings, one of our small nocturnal colony rooms, and a peek at our elusive aye-ayes. This is also our most customizable tour—if you have a species youd like to see, a topic youd like to learn about, or a list of questions youve been dying to ask, our staff will do their best to accommodate your request and shape the tour to your groups interests ✨ Behind the Scenes tours through the end of June can now be booked on our website! 🎟 📸: David Haring
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3 CommentsComment on Facebook

This is an awesome tour! I learned so much and hope to do it again later this year as well.

That is awesome.

Mitch Silverman

Duke Lemur Center
2 days ago

Don't forget to schedule a visit to our tour path this summer! ✨

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours

Looking for the most accessible way to visit the Duke Lemur Center? Check out our General Tours! These t ... See MoreSee Less

Dont forget to schedule a visit to our tour path this summer! ✨ ➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours Looking for the most accessible way to visit the Duke Lemur Center? Check out our General Tours! These tours are open to guests of all ages and run every weekend from mid-May to September. Youll be free to wander the tour path at your own pace during a two hour period, and DLC staff educators and volunteer docents will be stationed at each lemur enclosure to provide information and answer questions. Tickets are $17 per person, with discounts available for students, seniors, military, and children 🤩 Want a more customized experience? Book one of our Private Tours! These tours are perfect for folks brand new to lemurs, aspiring primatologists, and everyone in between. Your guide will walk your group around our summer tour path, and they can cater the delivery to your groups interests and questions. The flat rate of $180 (plus tax) covers up to fifteen guests, so youre welcome to come solo or bring fourteen of your best friends, coworkers, or family members 🤗 We currently have tickets available to book through the end of June! Visit lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours and click onto the specific tours page to learn more and purchase tickets 🎟 📸: Abby Flyer
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1 CommentComment on Facebook

Can't wait until I can. 🥰🥰

Duke Lemur Center
3 days ago

This is not an April Fool's prank—June tour tickets are now available to book on our website! 😱

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours

Immerse yourself in our Walking with Lemurs tour as you stroll through t ... See MoreSee Less

This is not an April Fools prank—June tour tickets are now available to book on our website! 😱 ➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours Immerse yourself in our Walking with Lemurs tour as you stroll through the lemurs forest habitats! Our most popular premium tour is offered six days a week throughout our tour season, where guests ages 10+ can view two to three diurnal lemur species in this incredible natural setting. Spend 90 minutes exploring our multi-acre enclosures with your guide, and be sure to bring your cameras and phones—youll want to take pictures! Visit lemur.duke.edu/wwl to learn more and book your tickets 🎟 Check out the Lemur Tours page of our website to learn more about the variety of tours we offer from May to September! Please note that you do need to make a reservation in advance to see the lemurs ✨ 📸: Sara Nicholson
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3 CommentsComment on Facebook

Awesome

Lemur.

Amy Rhode

Duke Lemur Center
4 days ago

Happy #MadagascarMonday! Today we're chatting about one of our grassroots projects in the SAVA 💚

In 2024, the DLC-SAVA Education team initiated two new youth professional development clubs with par ... See MoreSee Less

Happy #MadagascarMonday! Today were chatting about one of our grassroots projects in the SAVA 💚 In 2024, the DLC-SAVA Education team initiated two new youth professional development clubs with partner communities in Andasibe-Kobahina. One club focuses on masonry, and the other on sewing. They plan to put their new skills to good use with ideas for small start-up businesses and community aide projects. This is a community-guided project to address a root cause of deforestation because a lack of employment opportunities often leads young people to sell forest products like wood and charcoal 🪵 The DLCs conservation projects in Madagascar are run exclusively on grants and donations. You can support our work today at lemur.duke.edu/donate. To learn more about conservation projects like this, visit lemur.duke.edu/conservation or keep an eye out for upcoming #MadagascarMonday posts! ✨
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1 CommentComment on Facebook

I love that yall do projects over there.

Duke Lemur Center
6 days ago

Coquerel's sifakas Eustace and Cassia take their relationship to new heights 🌿

While lemurs don't have prehensile (grasping) tails, they have powerful grips with their hands and feet! Like Eustace de ... See MoreSee Less

Coquerels sifakas Eustace and Cassia take their relationship to new heights 🌿 While lemurs dont have prehensile (grasping) tails, they have powerful grips with their hands and feet! Like Eustace demonstrates in these photos, sifakas often dangle from their back feet while foraging in the trees, leaving their front hands free to grab leaves and pull branches toward their mouths 🙃 📸: Sara Nicholson
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2 CommentsComment on Facebook

Awesome.

"We are practicing for our auditioning soon for the new Le Cirque de Soleil lemur style" 🥰🫠

Duke Lemur Center
7 days ago

Enjoy some throwback photos of ruffed lemurs Buzz and Halley 😍

Happy Duke Reunion Weekend! Just like the Duke alums visiting Durham this weekend, we wanted to take the opportunity to reminisce. You m ... See MoreSee Less

Enjoy some throwback photos of ruffed lemurs Buzz and Halley 😍 Happy Duke Reunion Weekend! Just like the Duke alums visiting Durham this weekend, we wanted to take the opportunity to reminisce. You may know red ruffed lemur Buzz from our Walking with Lemurs tours, and Halleys symbolic adopters might recognize this lovely black and white ruffed female as the ruffed lemur representative for our Adopt a Lemur program 💙 To all of the alums who booked tickets on our reunion weekend tours: we cant wait to see you! 🤩 📸: David Haring
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10 CommentsComment on Facebook

Are you and my lemur friends in the path of the fires? Been worried about you all!

Buzz is my hero

So cute!!

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Duke Lemur Center
1 week ago

Jujube trees? Yes, please! 🤩

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/jujube

We're excited to announce that we've added four special tree saplings to our food forest—jujube trees! Because jujube trees are low maintenance a ... See MoreSee Less

Jujube trees? Yes, please! 🤩 ➡️ lemur.duke.edu/jujube Were excited to announce that weve added four special tree saplings to our food forest—jujube trees! Because jujube trees are low maintenance and don’t require pesticides or other chemical treatments, they are ideal for our ‘food forest’ organic garden. These saplings are expensive and well beyond our budget, but with help from DLC supporter Marilyn Grolitzer, Karen DiDonato from local business Nurtured by Nature Growers, and Janet at Edible Landscaping in Afton, Virginia, we were able to add four jujube trees to our growing food forest. As an animal lover, Janet enthusiastically agreed to donate the saplings, and Karen and her husband Chris helped transport the trees from Afton to Durham. We cant wait to see the lemurs enjoy the results of this wonderful collaboration! Visit our website at the link above to read more 🌱🍒 You, too, can help support the care and conservation of lemurs by making a donation to the Duke Lemur Center! Visit gifts.duke.edu/lemur to make your tax-deductible donation today 🤗
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5 CommentsComment on Facebook

These folks deserve a big round of applause!! So cool!💚👏💚

Thank you all for your generosity!

I thought the man on the left was that celebrity from Big Lebowski lol

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Duke Lemur Center
1 week ago

Leaping into the week with Coquerel's sifaka Gertrude ✨

Coquerel's sifakas, one of the critically endangered lemur species living at the Duke Lemur Center, move through the forest quite differently th ... See MoreSee Less

Leaping into the week with Coquerels sifaka Gertrude ✨ Coquerels sifakas, one of the critically endangered lemur species living at the Duke Lemur Center, move through the forest quite differently than most other species. They utilize a form of locomotion called vertical clinging and leaping when jumping from tree to tree, in which their bodies remain vertical but they can leap up to 30 feet horizontally. Sifakas have evolved splayed-out hips to aid in this special locomotion, which in turn makes quadrupedal walking (aka the way a ring-tailed lemur moves) very difficult. This anatomy is the cause for Zoboomafoos signature bipedal hopping, which his daughter Gertrude demonstrates in these photos 🤩 📸: Sara Nicholson
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16 CommentsComment on Facebook

Mila miaro tsika fa izy kara olo iany mafnartra

Why a precious gift of Mother of Nature

What fantastic movement!

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Duke Lemur Center
2 weeks ago

'Tis the season for fresh redbud 🌸

Whether they're out in the forest or nice and cozy in their indoor enclosures, lemurs love snacking on flowers! Now that redbud has begun to bloom, Keeper Sarah M. ... See MoreSee Less

Tis the season for fresh redbud 🌸 Whether theyre out in the forest or nice and cozy in their indoor enclosures, lemurs love snacking on flowers! Now that redbud has begun to bloom, Keeper Sarah M. went out and cut fresh browse for the lemurs to enjoy. Featured in these pics are collared lemur Bijou, crowned lemur Hapi, Coquerels sifaka Remus, and red ruffed lemur Hunter. While different lemur species have different diets, redbud is a favorite for almost all of the DLCs residents 🥰 📸: Sarah M.
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4 CommentsComment on Facebook

Kudos to who ever takes the pics for this site💕 Excellent work, especially the closeups!

The buds, flowers, and seed pods of redbud are edible for humans too. I love that the lemurs get to enjoy this tasty treat!